AURA

Coronado might have heard something about rock art along the Colorado while he was passing it, but it probably went in one ear and out the other. It’s been some time since I saw it, but if you’re interested I’ll tell you that the easiest way to see it at the back of Rock Creek Bay and in Nasja and Cha canyons is to grab a short tour on Lake Powell from Wahweap, Bullfrog or Halls Crossing marinas.

● Lake Powell marinas

● 10 day weather forecast

You can also see it at Natural Bridges National Monument. Half-day hikes take you to carved out petroglyphs and painted pictographs of people, animals, and abstracts in White and Armstrong canyons created before 1300 A.D. by people whose history is lost but some of whose dwellings remain. There are also later designs by Navajo and Ute tribes reflecting Spanish introductions like the wheel, horse, European fruit trees, Christian religious symbols, etc. Though little is known of the artists’ purpose is creating these works, one has been adopted by the dominant culture of today as can be seen on many buildings around Phoenix and Tucson: a hump-backed dwarf flute player the Hopis call Kokopelli whose representations suggest courtship, or at the very least, success with the ladies.

● Natural Bridges trails map (pdf)

● 10 day weather forecast

Sine added a few links on the text version of this note if you want to check out any of this.